


Flowers For My Past Beloved

by Novamore



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brotp, F/F, F/M, Friendly Exes, Friendship, Home For the Holidays 2019, M/M, Solidarity, Supportive Partners, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, bi Cana, bi Gray, cursing, femslash fairies, ftlgbtholidays2019, ftmlmages, gray&cana brotp, past graycana, present lucana and gratsu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21613615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novamore/pseuds/Novamore
Summary: Gray had always thought he had a fully functioning fight-or-flight response up until he ran into his ex-girlfriend's father while home on holiday break. Now he knows why it's called fight, flight, or freeze.Home For the Holidays #1 Prompt: Flowers
Relationships: Cana Alberona & Gray Fullbuster, Cana Alberona/Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, past cana alberona/gray fullbuster
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58
Collections: Fairy Tail LGBTales, Home for the Holidays 2019





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> This is story #1 for the "Home For the Holidays" event run by Femslash Fairies and Ftmlmages blogs on Tumblr. Since a part of the events theme is solidarity, I wanted to do a few brotp fics focused on friendships. I love graycana as both a romantic ship and a brotp so I had to start with them. As a warning: this chapter contains mentions of underage drinking and implied sex

Gray had always thought he had a fully functioning fight-or-flight response up until he stood gaping in the downtown café doorway as Gildarts Clive flirted with the barista handing him his coffee. Logically, he knew it made sense for Glidarts to be there. They all grew up in the same small town after all. While Gray and Cana chose universities in towns away, Gildarts, like his parents, where determined to stay in their little small town until it was time to retire down south. And while Gildarts job took him on business trips all over the world, it made sense that he would be back in town for the holiday season just like Gray was home on his holiday break.

Gray just wasn’t expecting to see him **here, now** _._ Immediately his eyes scanned the little shop for a familiar sight of long flowing brown hair and a teasing smirk only to come up empty. He let out a small sigh feeling guilty about how relieved he was. It’s not that he didn’t want to see Cana again. No matter what, she would always be his childhood best friend and one of the people most precious to him. He just didn’t know what to say her.

The last time the three of them were in the same room, Gray, Cana, and Gildarts, was at their going away party thrown by their parents where Gray and Cana played the role as just best friends while avoiding eye contact across the table. Everyone else in the vicinity seemed unaware of the tension surrounding the 18-year-olds newly exes.

It had all started when they were 16 and still discovering themselves and each other.

_They were in Cana’s room since Gildarts was gone again and his parents didn’t like the girl being in their big house alone. Gray had dubbed her room the ‘pit of darkness’ since her walls were painted purple and black and the lighting was low to “match the aesthetic”. What aesthetic that was, Gray had no idea. He had been learned not to try to understand Cana’s logic. They were 16 and angry at the world during those times. Their anger mainly came from feelings of uncertainty and confusion about their place in it, so they dealt with those feelings through fighting, drinking, music, and hooking up with any available person they could. In fact, that played a big part in their current argument._

_“I don’t get why your being such a big baby about this.” Cana said rolling her eyes as she hung upside down off her bed. Her feet were in the middle of the bed while her head and neck were positioned above the floor so she could better make eye contact with Gray. “If you kissed him then what’s the big problem with him calling you gay?”_

_Gray glared at her from his spot on the wall. “Because I’m not. I might not know who all I’m attracted too yet but that doesn’t mean he can just go and assign me whatever label he wants. Only **I**_ _get to decide who I am.”_

_Cana rolled her eyes again. “He was only trying to help Gray.”_

_“Yeah well I don’t need help like that. He lost the right to help when he started to argue with me about my own fucking sexuality. He’s just lucky that I didn’t-”_

_“Hold on!” Cana abrupted sitting up on her bed. She crossed her legs and looked expectantly at Gray. “Does that mean you will expect other kinds of help?”_

_“Depends on the help.” He asked warningly_

_Cana bit her lip and stared thoughtfully in his direction. He wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden change in posture. She seemed worried about something but what? After a few minutes of having an unofficial staring contest, Cana hopped off the bed and made her way over to him. She sat in front of him hugging her legs._

_“I have an easy way to find out if your still attracted to girls.”_

_And before he could speak, her glossed lips were pressed against his._

_It should have been weird, and in some ways it was, but gosh he needed this. After weeks of going over every romantic and sexual encounter he ever had questioning if had truly enjoyed it or if he’s been lying to himself the entire time like the last jerk he’d been with said, he needed to lose himself in someone again. Needed a healthy sexual encounter he could rely on that didn’t involve alcohol or other substances. And what better person than Cana, someone he knew since they were toddlers and trusted with his life._

_“Is this okay?” She whispered against his lips. He pulled back to look at her blush slowly growing on her cheeks. Her eyes were still pulled closed tight like she was afraid of his reaction. Now that was weird. In all of the years he knew her, he had never seen her so openly afraid before. Usually she hid it behind a tough girl act no one besides himself could see through._

_He leaned in and pecked her lips again. “Look at me.” He called softly. He placed gentle kissed down her cheek and across her neck. He took her hand intertwined their fingers placing them at the bottom of his shirt before slowly lifting it off. “Keep looking at me Cana.”_

_~_

_That had been the start of a new beginning for them. They transitioned from just best friends to friends who kissed sometimes and occasionally went on these things that_ could _be considered dates to a secret couple not even their family knew about. Why they kept it a secret, he’s not sure. Maybe it was because if they parents knew they were dating the sleepovers would stop. Or maybe it was for a deeper reason neither were ready to talk about. With their new relationship, they grew together in many ways but drifted apart in some. Gray was…hesitant to talk about his attraction to guys with Cana as his girlfriend. He knew she wouldn’t react bad to it, they talked about it enough before they started dating so he knew it wasn’t a problem. But something about being in a relationship with Cana made him feel like he had hide that part of himself. Like he was supposed to be straight while with her because he was in a “straight” relationship._ (Looking back Gray could only cringe at what his mindset used to be).

_Despite that they feel deeply in love and remained close avoiding any and all talks of sexuality up until graduation. Once the reality set in that they were going to separate schools in different towns, they decided to cool off their romantic relationship and go back to being just friends. Only, that wasn’t as easy as they originally thought, and the awkwardness became too much to bear. They had lost contact after their freshman year of university 2 years ago._

Now Gray stood frozen as Cana’s father’s smile grew as he rushed over and pulled Gray into a squeezing embrace.

“Gray! I can’t believe that’s you! I haven’t seen you around in forever! I almost thought you were a ghost of a younger Silver.” Glidarts threw his head back laughing as he finally released Gray.

“Yeah you know, I’ve just been studying and stuff.” Gray stumbled out awkwardly. He hadn’t been this lost for words in over a year.

“You and Cana both. Look at you two, I raised a couple of scholars!” He clapped Gray once on the back hard. “I know, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? Cana’s back in town and I know she’d love to see you.”

Gray went into full blown panic mode. “Oh, I can’t! Its my first night in town so I gotta spend it with my parents. You know how they are.”

Glidarts waved him off heading towards the door. “You probably see them all the time me and Canabelle haven’t seen you in forever. And I’ve done a ton of renovations I want you to see. Tell your folks I said hi and that your eating with us tonight. Feel free to stop by in a few hours.” And with that he was gone.

Gray watched the gentle yet destructive man stumble his way out of the coffee shop with a yell of protest stuck in his throat. Forgetting the order he entered the shop to place, he pushed open the doors fingers already pulling is phone out of his pocket. With quick fingers he looked for the contact name _Dumbass <3 _and typed a quick message

**Do you bring flowers when going to dinner with your ex-girlfriend???**


	2. Reunited

Gray entered through the door of his house quietly hoping to slip in past his parents. He threw one more desperate glance at his phone screen, yet it still remained blank. Mentally cursing his boyfriend, he rushed towards the stairs leading to his room only to be stopped by a booming voice in the kitchen.

“Gray! Did you get our drinks?”

Cursing once again, Gray walked towards the kitchen where his parents sat at the head of the table. Their frown at his empty hands turned into a worried look once they saw his face. He must have looked as panicked on the outside as he felt on the inside because her mother walked over speaking in a concerned tone.

“Gray? I haven’t seen you look this worried in a long time! Did something happen?” She placed a hand on chin twisting his face around as if looking for an injury.

“I’m fine mom!” He stepped away from her hands. “But uh…Gil-I mean Mr. Gildarts invited me over to his house for dinner-but I don’t have to go if you want to eat together like we usually do! I can just tell him I can’t come and-”

“Nonsense!” Silver barked slapping an arm on his son’s shoulders. “You haven’t had a play-date with little Cana in forever! You two used to be so close until you started college. What happened?”

Chucklingly nervously, Gray avoided his parents gaze. “We just grew apart is all.”

They eyed him suspiciously before Silver shrugged. “Well it happens, but that’s no excuse to keep avoiding her. Your both adults now. it would be good for both of you to reconnect.”

At that moment, Gray’s phone went off in a familiar buzz. Moving away from his parents he quickly glanced at his phone and confirmed it was the man he’s been waiting for to text him. His parents suspicious looks doubled as he stuttered out an excuse of needing to change before running off to his room.

Gray slammed the door shut behind him letting its slam echo down the halls. His fist connecting to the brown wood came next. He hated this _._ Hated the constant fear and anxiety and _lying_ whenever he talked to his parents about these things. Not only did they not know about Cana, they didn’t know about _anyone_ he dated. From high school till now, Gray never said a word about any of his partners to his parents. He’s never been in a relationship as far they know. He’s not even sure what he’s so scared of either. Before, he never told them because he was still unsure himself, then he never said anything because he didn’t think the small number of relationships he had after Cana were substantial enough to bring home. Well, until now that is.

Gray pulled out his phone and eager to read Natsu’s response. Like magic, all the anxiety and fear he was feeling at the moment vanished as his lips twitched into a smile.

**Wha??**

**Im confused**

**Am I the girlfriend orrr??**

**Cus if I am fuck u snowflake**

Chuckling Gray hit the ‘call’ button.

“Hello?”

“No you fucking idiot.”

“Oh shut the hell up! First you didn’t text me back when we were talking about your parents dick then Erza made me help her clean her apartment! Now I’m sore and Happy’s upset cause he’s home alone again since you’re not here. Then you texted me weird shit”

That’s right, Gray had texted him before leaving to the coffee shop. Before he started driving he texted Natsu a very important question that he has yet to read the answer to. “Oh yeah…my bad. Something came up and I didn’t read your reply before texting you again.”

“Dude what happened? You sound all weird.”

Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s vocabulary, Gray flopped down on his bed. “You remember my ex-girlfriend I told you about? The one that lives across the street from me?”

“The one into tarot reading? Yeah.”

“I ran into her dad. He wants me to come over to dinner…tonight.”

Gray retold the story with wild hand gestures and dramatics Natsu couldn’t see but the man knew his boyfriend well enough to envision. It took about 5 minutes and various threats for Natsu to stop laughing. It was moments like these Gray wished Natsu was there so he could punch him. “Natsu your still as annoying as when we first met!” He hissed into the phone.

“Calm down ice princess! It’s just funny you got so worked up. Didn’t you say you grew up together? What’s the big deal about going to dinner?”

“Because we dated! And we broke up without ever really _talking about everything_.”

“She doesn’t know your bi?”

“I told you Natsu no one here does. She knows I’d been with a guy but I wasn’t sure about my sexuality back then.”

“But you asked me if I wanted to meet your parents earlier?”

“Yeah I know…” Gray closed his eyes thinking about the text he hastily sent before leaving for the coffee shop. “I meant it. I’m tired of keeping this from his parents. I want you to meet them Natsu-that is if you want? I actually haven’t read your response.”

“Of course I do!” Natsu snorted as if the question was ridiculous. The words sent warmth throughout Gray. The knowledge that Natsu wanted this too, was just as serious about them as Gray was, made him swoon every time. Not that he’d ever tell Natsu that, of course.

“But only if you go to that dinner tonight.”

“What? Why!”

“Because she’s important to you Gray. Someone doesn’t need to leave your life permanently after a breakup. You can be exes and still care for each while just being friends. Look at me and Erza! Breakups aren’t always a bad thing. Sometimes you are both good people that are better off not dating.”

Gray took time to think it over as Natsu stayed uncharacteristically quiet over the phone. Gray couldn’t lie, he did miss Cana. The two years not speaking to her had always weighed down on him. He had met a lot of wonderful people at university, but none of them knew him and his history the way she did. Every semester break he would glance over at her house and imagine walking over to say hi, but he could never get the courage to do it. Gosh he wanted to though. “You’re not bothered by this?” He asked Natsu softly.

He could tell Natsu was rolling his eyes at him. “Are you bothered by me and Erza hanging out? No, I trust you idiot. Buy her flowers, go to dinner, and get your friend back. Text me your address tonight and we can handle you coming out to your parents together.”

It was moments like this that he was so thankful Natsu had thrown up on him during their first day of university. He didn’t know where he’d be without his pink-haired fiery tempered little punk. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I know, I love you too. I’ll see you tomorrow Gray.”

~

Gray had been mentally crafting a script of what he was going to say since he left his house. Armed with bouquet in hand, he approached the Clive-Alberona house only to freeze once reached the stairs. There leaning against the wall was the girl whom he’d been thinking of the entire day.

She smiled at him causally as if they were 16 again and Gray was coming over as always after school. Her hair was shorter than he remembered, maybe she cut it? And she had a tattoo on her wrist of what looked like keys but that was the only difference he could see. She still had the same chestnut brown hair and leather jacket she loved wearing when it was cold out. Still wore her blue jeans over thigh-high that he once told her made ass look great.

Still wore the silver necklace he brought for her 18th birthday, the last birthday they spent together.

“Hey.” He said when he finally reached her.

“Hey stranger.” She said back. Her eyes roamed over him the same way his did her before stopping on the banquet of irises.

He quickly jerked them towards her. “These are for you!”

She blinked in surprised before taking them hesitantly. Her fingers ran across the petals as she looked at the bouquet like it was mystery she needed to solve. “Thank you?”

He nodded and walked to sit on the stairs. She followed. They spent of few minutes in quiet until she broke it. “Why flowers Gray?”

“It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Why? You don’t…you don’t want to get back together do you?”

“What? No! It’s not that type of gift!” Gray waved his hands around in exasperation then tried to take the flowers back when she laughed.

“Sorry I was just making sure! I didn’t think you would avoid me 2 years if you wanted to get back together anyway.”

The silence came back.

“I thought _you_ were avoiding _me_?”

She shrugged looking away. “Maybe I was.”

Gray wasn’t sure what to say to that. He tried to search her face but keep her head turned away. Instead his eyes were once again pulled to her tattoo. Now that he was closer, he could see that is looked a group of tiny keys held together by a golden string. The string made a loop with what looked to be like initials inside.

“Cool tattoo.”

Her hand covered it almost instinctively. The small smile that overtook her face immediately caught his interest. It was soft, loving almost. He had only seen her look like that when they had found time to sneak off and just be them.

_Oh_

“Is it for someone special?”

She turned back towards him examining his face. Whatever she saw, or didn’t see, seemed to make her relax. “Maybe. Would it bother you if it did?”

“No.”

And he meant it. Even after these years, he could still read Cana and that small smile spoke a thousand words. The thought of Cana being _happy_ in a relationship with someone else brought him nothing but joy. He felt the panic from earlier completely disappear. He was so stuck on viewing Cana as an _ex_ that he forgot she was also his best-friend. And he wanted nothing more than for his best-friend to be happy. He now understand what Natsu meant during their call. He was going to get his best friend back.

“I’m glad Cana, I mean it.”

She smiled she gave him was a large one filled with unspoken warmth and relief. “Thanks Gray, that means a lot.” She bumped his shoulder with hers. “What about you? I don’t believe you’ve been single all this time.”

“Yeah well I uh-…” He paused taking a breath. This was far from his first time talking about his sexuality. All his friends at college knew he was bi and dating Natsu. And this wasn’t just anyone, this was Cana. The person who, once upon a time, knew him better than anyone. He smiled into her brown eyes.

“My boyfriend was the one who told me to buy you flowers.”

“Oh?” She didn’t even seem surprised. “Well tell him I said thank you. He seems like a great guy; you were never this sweet to me before.”

Its like a weight was lifted off his chest. He threw his head back in laughter. He laughed and laughed until he felt tears bristling to the corners of his eyes. “You’re such a lair Cana. You never liked this kind of stuff anyway. Does your boyfriend buy you flowers?”

“Lucy.”

“What?”

She gave him that soft smile again. “Not a boyfriend. Lucy.”

_Oh_

“Lucy then.” They bumped shoulders again and Gray _knew_ they were going to be alright.

~

Lucy, it turns out, was a bubbling blonde with a big smile and a matching tattoo of keys and initials on her wrist. She was also a frequent dinner quest at the Clive-Alberona household and Gildart’s proud future-daughter-in-law (both she and Cana went red when Gildarts said that making Gray laugh so hard he didn’t mind Cana’s punch to the gut). Lucy was also sweet. She didn’t look at Gray with any hint of malice and made an effort to make sure he was included in all of their conversations. She had pulled him aside before they sat down to eat and told him she was so happy he was back in Cana’s life.

“It doesn’t bother you?” He asked her the same question he asked Natsu.

“No way! You’re good for her. She doesn’t open up easily to people and I know she missed you. I’m glad you two and can move on together as friends.”

He decided then that he really liked Lucy. “I’m glad she has you too. I can tell she really loves you.”

Throughout the dinner Cana’s gaze never strayed too far from Lucy. It was on her hands when Lucy was helping serve the food. It was on her mouth when Cana told a stupid joke just to make her laugh. It was on her lips when Lucy caught her staring and threw a small smirk Cana’s way. It was on the tattoo when Lucy laced their fingers together and let them rest on top of the dinner table. Gildarts caught his look and gave a knowing smile. It made Gray wonder if Cana told him about them, but that was a conversation for another time.

Lucy turned bright red and gave him a wide twinkling smile. “I love her too, more than anything.”

~

It was after dinner that Gray and Cana headed back outside to together in front of what used to be their treehouse. They had talked about everything in lives from their high school graduation until now. They filled the time until the sun set and the sky darkened into night with tales of their college adventures and plans for their holiday break. It wasn’t until the topic of Natsu meeting his parents that they paused.

“I could come with you, if you want.”

The words were quiet but sincere. He knew that she meant it, that if he asked she would be there at his doorstep by his and Natsu’s side as he opened up to his parents.

His smile stretched wide wondering once again how he got so lucky to still have her in his life. “I think I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was originally meant to be a 2-part but there IS a "meet the parents" prompt that I could do with this story. Please let me know if you would be interested in that and thanks for reading

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 will be coming within the next days!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Flowers for Lisanna](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21684592) by [mdelpin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdelpin/pseuds/mdelpin), [Oryu404](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oryu404/pseuds/Oryu404)




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